Love Me
by theactonbell
Summary: (AU) Jane Rizzoli seems to have it all. A loving husband and daughter, a steady job. But what happens when she meets a beautiful blonde stranger at the swimming pool one night? Will everything just keep continuing as it had before or will Jane have to make changes in her life? Slow burn. Rated T for now.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hi guys, it's been a while since my last appearance and I'm sorry. Just recently I discovered a movie called "Lieb Mich" (Love Me) which inspired this story here.. Unfortunately, don't expect updates too often, university is taking up all my time right now.** **The style I'm using with this is new for me, but I hope you enjoy.**

 **Disclaimer: Don't own the characters or the movie.**

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As soon as Jane plunged into the depths of the water, she felt this satisfying feeling of freedom rise in her and the bubble of silence surround her. Nothing could touch her here. Nothing but the fresh and soothing essence of the cool and blue pool water. She loved coming here, it had come to be her sweet escape from the dreadfulness which shaped her everyday life, her work routine.

She pushed through the water with more force now, finally having found her rhythm, the steady pattern of hands and feet in perfect synchronisation. She was finally here, in her favourite place with her lungs slightly burning and her muscles lightly spasming.

She needed this, especially after this gruesome case that had come in earlier this afternoon. A family, two kids and their parents, all executed at the dinner table. It had been a terrible sight. Who on earth was capable of doing something like this? That was the question she would be dealing with for the next days, the next weeks even. It would also mean a lot of night shifts and tons of coffee, which did nothing but to increase the level of tiredness. Usually she dove into the cases right away, but this one came inconveniently since it was Ava's first day at school next week and she had wanted to spend these last days full of quality time with her daughter before sending her off into a whole new stage of life.

A frustrated sigh escaped her lips unwittingly and immediately her lungs were filled with water. She came to a halt right before the pool edge, coughing up the burning chloride water. So much for being totally immune to the outside world. Seeing that her rhythm had been permanently interrupted, she defeatedly decided to get out of the water completely. She braced herself against the edge of the pool and pulled herself up, the muscles in her arms burning unexpectedly. She had been in here longer than she had thought to be.

She stayed at the edge, running her fingers repeatedly through the water, revelling in its liquid silkiness. She didn't want to go home. Didn't want to be reminded of the case when she saw her own beautiful little family. Didn't want to lose a goodnights sleep due to the vile images etched into her memory. But it was late now, darkness had settled in the evening sky and she felt her stomach tighten with the uncomfortable feeling of hunger.

Just as she was about to get up and leave for the showers, she became aware of someone else approaching the pool. It surprised her since she was used to be the only one using the pool this late. Intrigued, she let her gaze wander over the stranger who had unknowingly disturbed her quiet and enjoyed solitude. Long strawberry blonde hair fell softly down her delicate face, making her look like an angel. Toned arms came up to tame the unruly waves and well defined legs stopped at the edge of the pool opposite of where she sat. She had never seen this woman before and having swum here for years that was a very rare occurrence. The mysterious stranger hadn't noticed her yet and fixed her googles before diving into the water with a perfectly exerted header.

She was in awe. In awe of the beauty and flawlessness this stranger exuded. She couldn't help herself but to get up and walk over to the swim lane where the woman was steadily approaching her, doing the crawl with magnificent speed. Before she knew it, the stranger had arrived at her end, finally noticing her. "Hello." The sound of the voice was unexpected to say at least, flooding her system with calming waves. "Hi." She became aware of the effect her own deep and raspy voice was having on the stranger as surprise slightly flared up in her eyes. But the surprise was quickly replaced by a slight sarcastic streak when the woman spoke up again. "Do you always stalk people like this at swimming pools? Should I be scared?"

A low chuckle spread in Jane's chest, delighting in the humour the blonde seemed comfortable enough to use. "No, but you're new. I haven't seen you here before. Your swimming style really impressed me." The strangers eyes lit up at the compliment and a small and shy smile appeared on her lips. "Thank you. It's my first time here and I really like the pool, the atmosphere here. I've only recently moved back to Boston." That's why she hadn't recognised the woman. "Ah, sounds cool. Yeah, you should definitely consider giving our swimming team a try." The blonde looked confused. "Swimming team?" "Yes, we train two times a week and compete in tournaments every couple of months. If you're interested just come here next Tuesday at 8 p.m. for tryouts, even if I think you're better than most of the team." She seemed to ponder the request before nodding to herself. "I think I'll do that. It seems like a good way to meet people and probably will give my swimming a good challenge. I'll be there." She grinned and looked up shortly at Jane for confirmation. "Great, I'll be looking forward to it. I'm going to head for the showers now, but it was really nice meeting you." She waved at the blonde, who was already turning to resume her swimming, when the woman suddenly called back. "What's your name anyway?" "It's Jane." Apparently satisfied with the answer, the beautiful stranger took a deep breath and plunged back into the water.

Jane watched her depart and pervade the lane with languid strokes, before walking down the side of the pool in order to get to the shower. She was cold and tired now, the short encounter with the woman only having taken her mind off the needs of her body for a little while.

Freshly showered and ready to go, she couldn't help but to go back to the glass door of the pool entrance once more, finding the blonde still in the water. What a strange yet intriguing woman. Jane was simply fascinated by her energy and ability to swim and truly looked forward to getting to know her better next week. She shook her head at her own musings, confused as to why this person was so present in her thoughts, but eventually let it go and left the pool area to drive home.

* * *

She had just managed to open the door when something bumped into her, almost making her fall over. "Ma!" It was her wonderful little girl. "You're finally home! But you missed dinner.. we had the bestest gnocchi in the world. Nanna made it just for us and I extra saved something for you because Papa wanted to eat it all." Jane put down her bag and picked her giggling little bundle of energy up, breathing in her sweet and calming scent. "Wonderful sweetie, thank you so much. How was your day? Did you have fun with Nana?" The little brown haired girl nodded, excitement glowing in her dark eyes. "Yes, we went to the zoo and watched the monkeys. They're soo funny and one even waved at me with a bana." "You mean a banana?" Ava seemed confused for a few moments, but then she giggled. "Yes, that's what I meant."

Chuckling, Jane placed her daughter back on the ground, hanging up her jacket and moving into the house. "Where's your dad, sweetheart?" Ava pointed to the living room, "He's in there, he said he's tired because he ate too much." Jane walked into the living room, met with the sight of her sleeping husband on the far side of the couch while the TV showed an old baseball game. Probably he'd had a hard day at work, the veterans were piling up since they had heard of the office. She was proud of him and his work. Being a veteran himself, he had dealt with hard times after returning from Afghanistan and now he was using his knowledge and experience to help others to get back into the American society.

"Papa, wake up! Ma's here." Ava pounced on her dad's stomach, trying to get a reaction out of him. Grunting, her husband tried to defend himself from the little girl, but unfortunately it was to no avail, Ava's will was too strong, "Okay, okay, I'm awake now. Please get off my tummy, darling. It's too full and it can't take little monsters like you jumping up and down on it." Ava obediently moved to his side, finally giving him the chance to look at his wife. "Hey there honey, you're home pretty late tonight. Everything okay?" Jane came to sit beside him, giving him a quick but loving kiss. "Yeah, just some pretty bad stuff at work and I kinda forgot time when I was at the pool. But I heard you had a wonderful dinner with our little princess here." She smiled at her daughter, whose eyes were starting to droop. He opened his arms, inviting her to snuggle into him. She accepted his offer and finally found herself at peace with her husband's musky scent and safety surrounding her.

She loved her family.

"How about I take our little monster to bed and you wait for me so we can talk in private?" Jane knew what her husband meant with talking in private and usually she was up to it, but tonight she only wanted to feel his arms wrap her up in a tight embrace, helping her to fight off the images that we're still haunting her tired mind. "Sounds like a good idea, but I'd rather just sleep and cuddle tonight. I kinda overdid things at the pool earlier. Is that okay?" He couldn't hide the brief look of disappointment, but sobered up fast enough. "Sure, honey, no problem. I'll be joining you as soon as possible, I don't think it will be too hard to get our tiny little bugger into bed tonight. She seems wiped out after the visit at the zoo with Angela." Jane ran her hands through her daughters soft curls once more, before placing one last kiss on her forehead. "Goodnight, darling. Sleep well." Ava's only response was a slightly scrunched up nose, her eyes thankfully staying closed. "I'll meet you in the bedroom." And with that he picked her up and carried her out, leaving Jane alone with her thoughts. She went into the kitchen, warming up some of the left over gnocchi's and getting out a beer. She knew she had about another twenty minutes until he would be joining her, so she took her time, enjoying every bite of the delicious food.

Her mind, though, strayed back to the events from this evening, to the mysterious woman at the pool. Jane hadn't ever seen a more beautiful being before and she hated the way her heartbeat picked up and a faint blush spread over her cheeks. She shouldn't be thinking things like this, thoughts like these brought her nowhere. She was married to a man and had a wonderful child. She didn't like women, she was just fascinated by this woman's abilities, not her beauty. No.

"Jane?" Her husbands call broke her out of her thoughts and she placed her dishes at the sink before walking down the hall into their bedroom. "Sorry, I just needed to eat some of my Ma's pasta, my stomach was killing me." He was already lying on his side of the bed, waiting for her to do the same. She changed out of her clothes and crawled under the covers, finally letting out a deep and relaxing breath. "No problem, I just missed you today. Work was like hell, this one guy's trauma is worse than we had believed. It's so frustrating to see that nothing is able to help him, no therapeutic approach, no conversation. I was really done with the day when I finally could leave to get home." Jane turned towards him, caressing his hair. "I'm sorry to hear that, but you will find a way to help him, somehow. Don't give up honey." With a long kiss she turned back and settled against him for the night, loving how his presence made her feel safe and cherished. "Goodnight babe, love you." His mumbled words felt like a lullaby and Jane's eyes became heavier and heavier. "Love you too, Casey."

She closed her eyes then, willing herself to fall asleep when it suddenly hit her. The woman at the pool, she hadn't even asked for her name. Even after being asked for her own name, she hadn't asked for hers in return. The only thing she knew about the stunning blonde was that she had moved to Boston only recently and that she was a good swimmer.

At this moment, Jane decided that she couldn't wait to meet the woman again, wanting to know everything about her. And it was with these last thoughts of the mysterious stranger that Jane finally fell asleep, not knowing that this fateful meeting would change her life forever.

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 **Thanks for taking your time and reading this.**

 **Any thoughts? Should I continue?**

 **A.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hello there, lovely readers. Seriously, you guys blew me away with the feedback you gave me for the first chapter. Over 60 follows, I feel honoured. _Thank you._ Iespecially also want to say ****thank you and hello to all the new people on board that are reading my work.  
Unfortunately, I have to warn you that updates will be a rare occurrence these coming months since the preparations for my exams have kicked off. **

**Nevertheless, I'm happy to give you the second part of the story tonight and I hope you all like it.**

 **Disclaimer: The characters don't belong to me, everything else does, sadly even the mistakes.**

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Early next morning Jane was rudely awakened by her blaring phone. It was Korsak, telling her that the lab had finally found an unidentified DNA print on one of the victims and that she should come down to the headquarters immediately for further information. Jane had wanted to protest, but his mention of hot, steaming coffee already waiting for her at her desk put a stop to that idea right away.

Groaning, Jane placed the phone back on her bedside table and turned onto her back. She gathered all her strength and got rid of the warm blanket, ready to face the oncoming day when she noticed Casey stir. She sat up and by doing that her husband woke up, moaning in complaint. "Jane.." Feeling bad for disturbing him in his sleep, she leaned back and tried to apologise and sooth him with minuscule kisses. "Sorry, honey, but I have to leave for work now. Korsak called, he needs me at the station as soon as possible."

Casey responded to her caress and moved further into her warmth, hugging her to him. "You're going nowhere Mrs. Rizzoli Jones. It's definitely too early for you to go to work, seeing that the sun hasn't even risen. How about you call back and tell him that you're not feeling well and we'll just stay here in bed and have a lazy morning without interruptions since Ava won't be awake for another few hours."

Countless kisses accompanied his words and they travelled down her throat until they found their refuge in her cleavage. Jane let out a shuddered breath, seriously tempted to just call in sick. It had been a while since Casey had touched her like this, with seductive caresses covered in an undeniable sweetness and she revelled in feeling his excitement and his hand moving down the length of her body, leaving goosebumps in its wake.

Just as Casey's hand had reached its destination and Jane was willing to give in to the touch completely, her phone rang anew. "Shit." Involuntarily, she freed herself of his teasing fingers and took the call, breathing heavily. "Hey Frost, what's up?" She heard a slight chuckle on the other end. "Just wanted to inform you that we have a suspect. The DNA print matched Henry Grenith, 40 year old male and old school friend of the father. He was previously convicted for illegal possession of firearms and seen while leaving the neighbourhood shortly after the shooting. Korsak wants you to meet him directly at Grenith's house for questioning instead of coming to the station."

Frost stayed silent for a moment and Jane was about to confirm when he spoke again, his voice teasing. "Why were you breathing so hard anyway, I didn't interrupt anything, did I?" Jane stayed silent, a fierce blush covering her cheeks. Why did her partner have to know her so well? "Now I know why Korsak wanted _me_ to call you."

The feeling of embarrassment was really uncomfortable for Jane, even more so since Casey was still playing with her shirt, so she shot back, knowing that it would finally put an end to Frost's unnerving teasing. "Shut it, or I'll personally make sure that everybody at the precinct knows that little Detective Frost here threw up all over the body from the Hulton case down in the morgue last week." She heard a rush of curses being uttered on the other end. "You wouldn't dare, Jane." A triumphant grin crossed her face, she knew that she finally had him. "Oh, you know I would.. and I wonder what Cavanaugh would do when he caught wind of that.. maybe put you back in the drug unit? But enough of that.. I'm on my way, tell Korsak to text me the address and I'll meet him him there in thirty."

Fortunately, Frost caved in to her threat and ended the call shortly after that, leaving her with little time for a needed shower and unluckily, an annoyed Casey. "What was that, Jane? I thought you had agreed to our lazy morning plans?"

Jane loved her husband, loved that he was such a good father to her only daughter and loved that he accepted her work and the flexibility it required, but sadly this good willed tolerance had visibly diminished and an unexplainable tension she truly couldn't explain took its place. "I'm really sorry, Case, but I need to leave. We have a suspect regarding the case and I have to go and pay him a visit."

Obviously, this did nothing to soothe him, but Jane didn't want to come home to anger and frustration later tonight, so she tried to pour oil on troubled waters. "You know that I want nothing more than to spend time with you, but it's just not possible right now. I want and I _have_ to find the murderer of two little children and their parents, it's my _job_. So could you please not make such a big deal out of this now and show a little understanding?"

She searched her husband's gaze for any indication of compassion and consideration, but she disappointedly didn't find any, instead he had an unreadable look in his eyes. "I don't know, Jane. You really have been working a lot these past months and.. I miss you, I miss spending time together with my wife and my beautiful daughter. It seems like you're always at the station solving cases and I don't even remember the last time we had sex that lasted longer than the common ten minutes.. It's just that I'm pretty frustrated at the moment and I'm sorry if this comes out harsher than originally intended."

Jane certainly was surprised at Casey's slight and sudden outburst, she hadn't been aware of her husband being frustrated to this extreme extent, even though she had noticed a faint yet palpable distance growing between them these last weeks. "No, I do understand where you're coming from and I'll try harder, I promise." Jane moved to caress his rough cheek with her hand, connecting their lips briefly. She desperately hoped that this was good enough for the moment, although she had to ignore the feeling of anger and confrontation rising deep inside of her. Since when was her job becoming a problem? Weren't they happy?

She turned away from him and her gaze fell onto the alarm clock, which indicated that time had rapidly advanced and that she needed to hurry if she didn't want to be late. "I need to take a shower now or else Korsak will kill me for keeping him waiting. I'll be home for dinner at the latest, yeah? Please give Ava a kiss when she wakes up and sorry again for this unfortunate turn of events.." His hand came up on her face and gently turned her gaze back on him. "It's okay, but we'll have to talk soon, and I mean really talk. I won't keep you away any longer now and I hope that you have a successful day.. I'll miss you." Serendipitously, his look was back to overflowing her with the warmth she loved and needed so much. She felt relieved. "I love you, Jane." He emphasised the sentiment with one last determined and lingering kiss before moving back under the covers.

She smiled at him and went to the bedroom door before looking back one last time. "I love you too, Casey. And maybe.. maybe I can even show you how much tonight." With that she left her excited looking husband in their bed and prepared for the strenuous day she knew was going to come.

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Unfortunately, the day hadn't turned out as Jane wanted it to because when she and Korsak had entered Grenith's place, they had found it to be empty and Grenith nowhere to be seen. Of course nobody in his neighbourhood knew where he had gone or where to find him. They had left the place angry and tense and had returned to the station to file a missing person report. Frost had immediately went through all the files and notes for any hint or indication regarding the whereabouts, but his search was to no avail. The seemingly missing link to the case had disappeared and now they didn't have a single lead that could help them to find it. All they could do was to wait for Grenith to be found and Jane detested waiting.

The case was on hold, but she still had to finish the typical paperwork and Mc Donnell from Vice had asked her for advice on one of their cases. So she called home to inform Casey that she was probably coming late, which was obviously met by a lack of approval on his side. Not able to take his indignation in her tense and irritated state, she had ended the call rather abruptly, even though she knew that it would cause another argument later on.

Instead of staying at her desk with frustrating paper work and the uncertain progress of the case, she decided to take a break and go out to get a coffee in order to clear her buzzing head. Jane hated days like these, days where nothing seemed to work and not even the prospect of going back home to her family bore a great sense of welcomed relief. Sometimes she wished that she had chosen another job, a regulated job which guaranteed her enough time with her family, a job that didn't hold all this disappointment and tension. But then her mind would take her back to all the memories of the people she had helped, the people she had brought justice to and nothing could compare to that. It filled her with so much pride and joy to see that _she_ was able to do that, to bring a little bit of justice to the world.

She wouldn't give up her job for anything.

When the time came for Jane to go home, she hesitated. On the one hand she wanted nothing more but to be with her child and to spend a quiet evening, but on the other hand she wanted to postpone the feared confrontation with Casey for as long as possible. She honestly couldn't explain to why her husband had become so on edge, but she was too tired to deal with it at the moment. So she went down to the locker room of the fitness place of the station, gathered her bag and drove off into the night.

* * *

Luckily, the small changing room at the swimming pool was empty as Jane finally got there. She sat down on one of the benches and let herself bask in the familiar and comforting quietness for a few moments before changing and heading for the showers. This was what she needed now, a satisfying and concentrated swim with nothing but herself to focus on. She jumped into the cold water, letting out a gush of air as the coldness collided with the heat of her body. Not faltering at the powerful sensations running through her system, she began to do the crawl with long and determined strokes, cutting through the water like a sharp saw cutting through wood. She found delight in the stark awareness of her own body and strength, feeling her muscles work out the tension and offering it to the welcoming waves of the pool. She was in her element.

Around her fifth lap Jane finally felt the tension evaporate and her mind clear but yet she continued to swim, even though she knew that actually, it would was at the time to head home. But her mind and heart wanted to indulge in the silence and solitude just little longer, if only to brace herself for the conflicts to come. She wanted to pull as much energy as possible out of this short escape.

She was just turning around to start the next lap when her thoughts suddenly drifted to the beautiful blonde from yesterday. The way her bathing suit had accentuated firm curves and muscled limbs, the way her eyes had twinkled with mirth and good natured humour, the way she had bit her lip while contemplating Jane's offer. The wave of powerful feelings connected to her image of the stranger surprised Jane and she couldn't fathom the reason to why these thoughts had turned up so unexpectedly and to what had triggered them in the beginning.

The distinctive sensation of nervousness invaded her body as she let the woman enter her mind once again. She had been so elegant, so breathtakingly stunning. But Jane knew that actually, she shouldn't be thinking of this woman in such manner because thoughts like these were too dangerous, too risky.

All too well did Jane Rizzoli know this, for the simple reason that she had a past, a painful past, which she didn't want to give the opportunity to resurface again, now or ever. That chapter of her life _was_ over.

However, she felt even more guilty for still being excited about seeing the woman again on Tuesday at the swimming practise. Maybe, maybe she should just drop that practice next week and take a short break, rather spending the time with her family to rediscover the harmony that usually shaped their dynamics. Yes, the more she thought about it, the more it sounded like a good idea and she knew that Casey would be thrilled about it.

Jane slowly felt her senses calming down and her heartbeat return to its normal frequency. She took this as her cue for getting out of the pool since she had noticed that her muscles were also starting to ache. She swam back to the edge, pulled herself up and walked back to the showers, the silence of the empty pool slowly becoming deafening.

She tried to not dwell under the warm and soothing spray of water for too long, her need to get back to the safeness of her home was steadily increasing. Fortunately enough, her thoughts were throughly back on her family now and she couldn't wait to see Ava, even if the little girl was already sleeping. She promised herself that she would try and stay home as long as she could tomorrow since it was the last full day before school started, even if it was hardly possible due to the current case.

On the way to the car, Jane checked her phone for updates on the case, but neither Frost nor Korsak had messaged her. Her ease, however, was short lived as she spotted one unread message from Casey. She checked the time and saw that it was already past ten. Hesitantly, she moved to open the message, feeling slightly on edge.

 **Where are you, Jane? Ava misses you and she was pretty upset that you ditched us for dinner yet again. And Jane, I'm sorry for being so harsh earlier, it was unfair and I didn't mean to irritate you. Please just come home, honey, and we'll let everything rest and have nice evening. I love you. C**

Jane let out a breath of relief, Casey had seemingly calmed down. She felt lighter and more secure now than she had the whole day, and without any further thought she got into the car and drove home through the late night traffic. All bothering thoughts and feelings towards the stranger were long forgotten.

Or at least for the moment.

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 **Thank you for reading.**

 **Any thoughts or comments? I would like to hear what you think.**

 **Until next time,**

 **A.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Seriously, thank you for the continuous support, it makes me smile every time I see a new email in my inbox!  
Here's the third chapter and as you'll see, the plot will be moving forward and new (exciting?) details will be revealed. I know that this isn't the best chapter I've ever written, but I still hope that you enjoy it, and of course I would like to hear what you think about it.**

 **Disclaimer: As always, nothing belongs to me but the plot and the mistakes.**

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"Ma..! Mama!" The familiar voice made Jane look up from her phone and she turned her gaze on the crowd of chattering children that was rapidly approaching the school entrance. She immediately noticed a tiny, brown haired person that was eagerly trying to find a way through the hoard of moving backpacks. Chuckling, Jane saw how her daughter dodged and fought herself towards the fence she was leaning against, this distinctive fierceness reminding her so much of herself at that age, thirty years ago. The notion filled her chest with pride, not solely because of the truly endearing sight, but rather because of the unwavering certainty that this could only be _her_ daughter, the wonderful being she had created.

Eventually Ava managed to reach her mother, breathing heavily yet grinning in victory. "Hi, Ma. You made it!" She smiled excitedly and motioned for Jane to pick her up, wanting to feel the comfort of her mothers arms. Jane readily took her daughter into an embrace and caressed her back while placing soft kisses on her hair.

"Yes, sweet girl, Mama finally managed.. So, how was school? Did you have any fun today?" Jane held Ava tightly to her chest, revelling in the wonderful and loving moment she had with her daughter since sadly, these moments were rare due to her irregular and tough working schedule.

It was the first time that Jane was able to pick up her daughter from school since, apart from now, the current case was claiming all her attention and time. Grenith was still on the run and his motive unclear, but luckily further examination of the found evidence had indicated that Grenith hadn't operated alone. Thus they had searched for an accomplice and had finally found her, Alicia Bogner, Grenith's latest girlfriend.

Bogner, however, couldn't tell them where to find her boyfriend, so the search team had to continue operating at full stretch. With everybody being needed at the station, this particular afternoon was another reason for Jane to cherish the time she had with her daughter since it had been very hard for her to take off at this short notice without being on call. Cavanaugh hadn't been happy with her at all when she appeared in his office, but she desperately fought for getting to pick up her daughter at least once in her first week of school. Luckily for her, the lieutenant had relented in the end, but only on the condition that this was going to be a one time thing.

She looked back down at her grinning daughter, whose delight filled eyes looked so similar to her own. "Yeah, Ma it was super duper fun! I drawed a dinosaur with yellow shoes in art class, and Miss Isles said it that was the nicest pair of shoes she'd ever seen."

Jane smiled at the sweet innocence and gullibility her daughter was still portraying. "Really? Your teacher must have really good taste, but seriously Ava, I'm so proud of you, little girl. You'll have to show me the painting sometime." Ava nodded her head eagerly in response and the adoring gesture made Jane pepper her daughters face with teasing yet sweet kisses.

This evoked high pitched giggles from her Ava, while she helplessly tried to escape her mother's endearing assault. "Stop it, Ma! Please stop, it tickles!" Laughing, Jane's kisses slowly came to a stop and she placed one final and long kiss on her daughters forehead before putting her down and taking her hand, heading for the exit.

"Let's go to the car now since Dad's already waiting for us at home. And by the way, there's a small surprise from Uncle Frost waiting for you in the car. He says hello to his favourite little girl, and made extra sure that I didn't forget to give you this present in celebration of completing the first week of school." Jane thought back to earlier this afternoon when Frost came running down to entrance of the station, bringing her a bag filled with a pink, strawberry glazed donut from across town for Ava, her daughter's absolute favourite. She was so grateful to her partner for wanting to play such an important and stabilising role in her daughters life, even more so since the family situation otherwise was so difficult.

Ava let out an excited cry at this news and pulled on her mothers lean hand, indicating for them to pick up their pace. "Hurry up, Ma! I want to see the surprise!" Jane let her energetic daughter lead them, already thinking about organising a renewed duel of paper toss at work next week in order to thank Frost for his present.

Just as they had passed the entrance, however, Jane suddenly caught a familiar seeming glimpse of blonde hair on the far side of the school grounds. Instantly, she turned her head towards it and saw a petit and well dressed blonde woman disappearing in the building across. Jane was hit by a sudden wave of intense yet unknown feelings as the image of another blonde stranger returned to the forefront of her mind. This woman right there had looked so much like the beautiful stranger from the pool last week, the figure and hair seemingly identical. But surely, it couldn't have been the enticing stranger because when the had conversed at the pool, she hadn't struck Jane as the school type. Her eyes must have been playing tricks on her mind.

Jane was pulled out of the uncomfortable train of thoughts by a fierce tugging on her left arm. "Ma.. what are you waiting for? Let's go, I want my surprise!" It was obvious to see that Ava was starting to become impatient and Jane knew from experience that a whining and unsatisfied daughter was a strenuous one and she really didn't want to endanger the general good mood by standing on the school grounds for no actual reason. So she quickly resumed walking towards the car, trying to ignore the light flutters deep down in her stomach.

* * *

Friday evening had been a wonderful and clearly needed escape from work. Casey had already finished dinner when she and Ava finally came home and the familiar smell of steaming pasta and rich tomatoes floated through the air as soon as Jane had entered the kitchen to greet him. To Jane's surprise her husband had made one of her all time favourite meals, Spaghetti Napoli. The gesture had been so sweet that she had given him an extra long kiss for being so considerate. It had been one of the few more intimate moments the couple had shared over the course of the week and Jane could feel how much relief and reassurance this act triggered in Casey's reciprocation.

Dinner had gone off without a hitch after that and Casey had thankfully laid low about Jane's insane amount of working hours the days before, and instead had asked questions about the progress of the case and the wellbeing of Korsak and Frost. It seemed like everybody tried to cherish this precious family time as much as possible, not wanting to ruin the harmonious atmosphere for once.

Afterwards they had all sat down together and watched Ava's favourite movie 'The Lion King' and even Jane was forced to wipe away a lone tear at the scene of Mufasa's death. Ava had fallen asleep towards the end of the movie and they decided to put her to bed together before heading to their own bed. They fell asleep in each others arms, like they had done so often in the past, and Jane was certain that she wouldn't ever let this terrible distance between them reappear again.

Unfortunately, the needed family time was put to an end when Jane's phone rang at two a.m. the next morning. The team had managed to track Grenith back down to south docks of the harbour, where he was hiding in an old and vacant building. Sadly, as they had moved in on hime, they had discovered another dead body of a dockworker with him there in the old place.

Jane had immediately raced down to the crime scene, just in time to see Grenith handcuffed and accompanied to one of the patrol cars. She went over to the guys and embraced both Korsak and Frost, so relieved that this was over and they had finally caught the man that was haunting their department for the past two weeks. Deep inside Jane was confident that the strong need to bring Grenith to justice would eventually be satisfied since the interrogation was her specialty and she knew that she was able to break him, to bring him to confess.

Only late Sunday afternoon, however, did they finally obtain his needed confession, the interrogation had turned out to be extremely difficult and very long lasting due to his meagre cooperation. It had frustrated Jane to no end, that he had seemingly no guilt or pity at all for what he had done. Afterwards though, the team had come together down at the Dirty Robber, trying to get past the gruesome images and celebrating the successful closure of this tiring and frustrating case.

They had made it once again.

* * *

Since the last case was finally closed and Jane had been lucky to be spared by dispatch so far this week, she found herself back in the locker room of the pool the following Tuesday night. She had briefly hesitated about coming tonight because she knew that she would come face to face with the mysterious blonde again, or at least she assumed it, but in the end the need for solitude offered in the water and the opportunity to clear her mind had overruled her slight apprehension towards the woman.

She had just opened her locker and placed her bag at the foot of the wooden bench when she suddenly became intensely aware of the presence of somebody else standing behind her.

"Hello stranger." The sweet voice caused light shivers to run down her back and she hesitantly turned towards the warm yet unnerving sound. In front of her stood the source of powerful yet feared thoughts, already dressed in the appealing swimming suit and wearing a teasing smile.

Jane couldn't stop her eyes from wandering over the lean form, pausing shortly at prominent breasts and full lips before settling on hazel eyes. "Hey.." She bit her lip as the woman returned the gesture and tiny, fiery sensations pricked her skin under the scrutinising gaze. When their eyes met again, Jane detected a slight enquiry in darkening eyes. The tangible tension between them increased the longer the wordless gaze lasted, and Jane was on the brink of reaching out to tuck away a stray curl of soft blonde hair that had fallen over hazel orbs, when the stranger suddenly dropped her eyes and the connection was lost.

"I didn't see you last week." The words indicated no accusation nor were they spoken with venom, but Jane couldn't ignore the light taste of insecurity that accompanied them. She tried not to dwell on it and resumed to get out her swimming outfit. The woman deflected and turned back to her locker to retrieve her googles and towel while Jane finished dressing.

"Yeah, sorry about that, but my daughter needed me, she's a bit clingy at the moment since she just started school last Monday." The explanation sounded somewhat weaker spoken out loud than in her mind moments, but how was she to explain the true reason behind her absence without digging in too deeply. Even more so since she didn't even know this woman.

"Your daughter? No problem, I was just a tad disappointed seeing that I didn't know anybody else here apart from you, but the others were friendly enough and obviously I was more than qualified to return." She winked at Jane, her eyes sparkling with mirth, and continued walking towards the showers, waiting for Jane to join her.

In the small cubicle Jane let the warm spray of water envelope her and wash away the stress of the previous week. She had missed this solitude, yet at the same time she was grateful for the time she had spent at home with her family instead. Ava's eyes lighting up when she picked her up from school, the kisses she received when she cooked her daughter's favourite meal on Monday evening, the calmness in her and Casey's communication. It almost felt like the slight crisis earlier this month had never happened, that they were perfectly happy like a married couple was expected to be.

However, something deep within Jane was still weary about this sudden reappearance of harmony, the return of tolerance. It had happened too fast, without any real confrontation or talk between Casey and her, they had just laid it aside and gone from there. Maybe it was her fault that she hadn't taken the initiative on this, but honestly, she just didn't have the energy for a big argument with work being as stressful as it had been these past months.

"Hello? Jane..?" Her eyes flew open at the mention of her name, bringing her back to the small shower cabin and the meanwhile cool spray of water.

"Yeah, what's the matter?" Cursing, she shut off the shower and stepped out onto slippery tiles, shivering. The woman across from her eyed her worriedly before handing Jane her towel.

"I asked you about your daughter, but you kind of spaced out and by the look on your face I can positively say that it wasn't dirty thoughts on your mind." What was it with this woman and her constant teasing? Jane ignored the remark, but blushed regardlessly, taking the soft towel and continued walking towards the pool door.

"What do you want to know about my daughter anyway?" She regretted her slight irritated tone immediately, not wanting to scare the blonde away as she had done nothing wrong.

The stranger faltered at the brusque tone and for the first time Jane detected open uncertainty. "Sorry, I didn't want to pry or get onto your nerves at all. I just wanted to know your daughter's name and which school she's visiting."

In some daunting way this woman was seriously adorable. The way she bit her lip and played with the fabric of her swimming suit made her look so small yet lovely, but Jane threw away the warm feeling before it could even solidify itself in her system. "Oh.. well my daughters name is Ava and she just started at Tynan Elementary School since my husband wanted her to go there." Jane didn't know why she added the part with Casey, but something in her mind told her to make things clear about herself, to keep a good distance to the blonde woman since her gut feeling surprisingly couldn't put a finger on this woman's character and mind yet.

"Oh, how nice. So you live in southern Boston?" The woman didn't even flinch at the mention of a husband, instead she graced Jane with a genuine seeming smile.

"Yeah, right. Born and raised there and never had the wish to leave." Jane returned the smile with one of her own, but before she could use the momentary silence to ask the blonde some questions in return, the door to the pool room opened and Coach Doyle barged in, clearly in search of them. "Shit." Jane knew that they were late, but it was never a good sign if the coach himself came looking for them.

"Rizzoli, what's taking you so long? I thought practice starts at 8 p.m. and not 8:20 p.m.? Now come on and get your asses into the swimming pool and warm up. We'll start with the match ups in ten minutes since we have a competition to win on Sunday!" Doyle was tense and Jane knew best that there was no room for arguing right now, so she nodded silently and looked over to the mysterious blonde.

The stranger seemed slightly horrified at the loud outburst and quickly excused herself before walking towards the pool without another word. Jane stayed back shortly to get her googles, and then, somewhat guiltily, enjoyed the view of swaying hips and butt in front of her before following the blonde woman to the pool.

* * *

Jane was finally back in her element as soon as the water surrounded her. She concentrated on the perfect alternation of breathing and gliding through the cool wet while trying to maintain a high speed. She knew that she had to pick up her game if she wanted to please her coach and finish the competition successfully next weekend.

She was just going into another lap when she heard her coach call her out. "Hey Rizzoli, warm up time is over! Get out now, so that we can match up the people." Jane swan to the edge of the pool and pushed herself up when she noticed that a certain blonde was watching her, or rather her cleavage, from the side of the pool. Jane caught her gaze and winked at her teasingly, the sheer exhilaration of being able to swim again making her unusually bold. The woman turned away, but still, it was amusing to see how ivory cheeks turned red and white teeth came out to bite a plump lip at the somewhat flirty gesture. Grinning slightly, she got out of the water completely and made her way to the group of swimmer, that was waiting for her.

"What's taking you so long, Rizzoli? Come on, now." Jane hated it when her coach was impatient and bossy. Normally, he was an decent person, whose strength definitely lay in the continuos and helpful motivation of swimmers, which she herself had needed often enough in tough situations during the last laps of some events. She respected him for always expecting the best of people without being unfair. But tonight he really was exceptionally tense and she just couldn't understand to what had triggered it, but she hoped that a good practise tonight would lighten him up.

"Palmer you'll swim against Corton, Piper you're up against Gilberti, Johnson you go against Fitch and Rizzoli, you're swimming against the newbie tonight. 10 laps each, the fastest wins a free drink at the celebratory dinner after next Sundays competition, okay? But I want you all to stay under 25 minutes, that is the least if you want to play a important part on Sunday. Am I making myself clear? I know that you're all good enough for that."

The swimmers all nodded in response, some even cheered. It was a funny group of women and Jane enjoyed swimming here with them because the one thing all of them had in common was their love to swim, to feel the element of water surrounding you. It united them and hence there was no serious competition between them since everybody was only trying to satisfy the impulse of becoming one with the water.

"Okay, let's get going. First pair takes lane one and two, second pair takes lane three and four and so on. Good luck and may the best swimmer win." With that the group broke up and the swimmers lined up at each lane, waiting for the whistle to be blown.

Jane took a deep breath before turning her gaze towards the blonde stranger one last time. The woman wasn't looking at her, instead her gaze was steadily fixed on the water in front of her, she did look beautiful, standing there, body tense with the anticipation for the crucial signal to come. Jane turned back, trying to focus on her own breathing and the steady beat of her heart.

Suddenly, a shrill sound resonated through the natatorium and they were off, jumping into the pool with powerful and elegant headers.

* * *

"Congratulations, newbie. I didn't think you'd have it in you to beat Rizzoli here since nobody's ever managed to beat her before. But what a race this was, you two were only apart by half a second and 19.47 minutes over all is a fantastic time. I'd say that I'm really looking forward to next Sunday now and 'Welcome to the team officially', you've earned it!" Everybody cheered and even Jane managed slight yet sincere grin at the woman since this was a big deal. It wasn't every day that someone was allowed to join the team.

Some started walking towards the showers, including the blonde, but Jane stayed at the pool, wanting to make sure that the coach was okay. "Hey Doyle, you alright?"

Her coach turned to her, confused but not unfriendly. "Yeah sure, Rizzoli. Why are you asking?" Jane noticed a short flicker of irritation and pain cross his eyes and she pondered her response. Should she indicate that she had noticed him being off tonight or should she just let it go and see how it would develop? She decided for the latter.

"Nah, no reason really. Just wanted to make sure since we all need to be in good shape for the competition on Sunday." Doyle looked relieved at her deflecting and slowly headed for the pool door.

"Yeah, I'm fine, seriously. I was just a bit nervous about you all making the time. But that clearly wasn't a problem, so everything's good. Goodnight, Rizzoli and greet that husband of yours. Tell him that I expect to see him on the weekend, cheering for us!"

Jane laughed at that comment, said goodnight and went to the showers. When she arrived back at the locker room she was alone, except for the blonde stranger, of course, who was reapplying her make up on the far side of the room. Funnily, it seemed as if the woman had been waiting for her especially to join her. Jane tried to dress as quickly as possible since she was aware of the intense but uncomfortable gaze the stranger was examining her with.

She tried to distract her, bringing up and voicing her close victory from before. "You really are a hell of swimmer. I was pretty impressed because as you know, nobody here has ever managed that before."

The woman met her eyes in the mirror. "Thank you, but, honestly, it didn't surprise me at all since I noticed you weren't focused before the start. It was those seconds that made me win the match up in the end. And on that note, just an advice for next time: How about keeping your eyes to yourself next time, mh? I promise you that you'll be the successful one if you manage that." She chuckled loudly and Jane just wanted to drop off the face of the earth at the comment, too embarrassed by being caught while openly staring at the beautiful blonde.

Still, she didn't want to leave without fighting her ground, so she brought up the moment before the swimming pairs were decided on. "Yeah, I'll keep that in mind, even if some certain blonde here should also know to keep her eyes away from cleavage that doesn't belong to her.."

The stranger laughed, clearly impressed by Jane's advance. "Okay, I pledge guilty, even if the sight wasn't as satisfying as it could have been."

Was this woman flirting with her? Was she maybe even gay? Jane's mind was flooded with countless questions due to the last remark, but there was only one that she needed to be answered tonight.

"Interesting, but by the way, I think its only fair to get to know your name since we're obviously going to see each other more often now, don't you think?" The question sounded somewhat teasing yet desperate at the same time, but at this point Jane didn't care about it anymore. She wanted to know the name of the woman who could evoke such reactions in her.

The blonde grinned at her impatience and retrieved her stuff before getting up to leave. "You're a funny one Jane, but I'll grant you this wish since you lost against me earlier." She walked towards the door and without turning back, she uttered the name that would never leave Jane again.

"My name is Maura Isles."

* * *

 **On another note, I just wanted to add that even if I can understand some people's dislike for Casey (I don't like him either), he does play an important role for both the** **plot and development of Jane's character, so I can tell you that he'll be sticking around for the next chapters.  
** **While I do encourage every comment and opinion on this story, I will ask you to please express this opinion constructively and refrain from displaced and foul language. Otherwise, I will unfortunately have to consider removing your comment since I don't want my story to be a place where unreflected and disheartening comments can get the attention they so desperately want.**

 **Sorry for the long note, but thank you for understanding.**

 **Have a nice day,**

 **A.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I sincerely apologise for the lack of updates, but I lost a very special person a few weeks ago and I didn't really feel like writing. This is just a short filler chapter with important background elements about Maura, but I'm already working on the next one. I think I finally know where I want to go with this story.**

 **Hope you enjoy.**

* * *

Absentmindedly, Maura Dorothea Isles stood in front of her window, looking out towards the beautiful scenery of San Francisco Bay. Somewhat fascinated, she watched the sky rapidly turning black due to the vast formation of impenetrable clouds, predicting a heavy storm to come. She sighed. Somehow, this dark and seemingly inexorable weather perfectly reflected her momentary state of mind.

This was the famous calm before the incoming storm.

Because after tonight, everything was going to change. She would quit her job here and leave the city she had come to call her home for so many years now, eight years to be precise. And leaving truly wasn't easy. Here she had built a life, a reputation and a comforting and secure wall around herself, and the idea of completely losing this scared her endlessly.

But she couldn't stay here. She had to leave this life behind. She had to return to Boston.

Maura turned away from the kitchen window as the first little drops touched the dirty glass, and walked back to her living room table where a small piece of crumpled paper was lying next to her phone. Taking a deep breath, she picked up the paper note with shaking hands before quickly dialling the number that had been hastily written on it so many months ago.

This was her chance. She was going to be brave.

"Hello?"

"Hello, mother. I wanted to inform you that I'm moving back to Boston."

"Oh how wonderful, Maura."

Maura closed her eyes and took an uneasy breath. She desperately willed herself to be strong, if only this one time.

 _Say it._

"I am going to find my birth parents."

Silence.

For once Constance Isles was at loss for words. Sweat broke out on Maura's forehead the longer the wordlessness between them went on, but her throat stayed uncomfortably dry. She had expected and was prepared for everything but this; humiliation or compassion regarding her daring quest wouldn't have surprised her, but silence — silence was something completely different, at least concerning her mother.

For the first time in her life, Maura Isles had rendered her adoptive parent, the great and strong worded Constance Isles, speechless.

And that fact alone was hard to believe and yet, it felt so massive — so game-changing. She was finally standing up for herself.

Just as Maura cleared her throat in order to bring up the courage to ask about her mother's wellbeing, however, the unexpected silence was broken by the sound of several voices rising in the background on Constance's end. She heard her mother's quiet whispers before she suppressed a slight cough. It seemed like the commotion brought her back to the present, back to the conversation with her daughter since she replied in her usual detached yet authoritative tone.

"Good for you, darling. Sadly though, I have to let you go now since I have a meeting in five minutes…Pierre just called me over, but it was very nice to hear from you. Take care ma chérie, au revoir."

Then she was gone, the only sound remaining was the insistent beeping signal of disconnection. No questioning her actions, no mention of good luck or encouragement for the search, not even a promise for contacting her again. To say, that Maura Isles was disappointed about the course the talk with her mother had taken, would be wrong, but still, she hated the way it made her feel so insignificant, so worthless.

 _So unloved._

This superficial communication with her mother didn't really surprise her, it had always been this way, but tonight Maura had thrown caution in the wind and had been _brave._ Yet, it still hadn't had the slightest effect on her mother. She had dismissed it, ignored her daughter's attempt to reach out to her, disregarded their connection. This made anger rise in Maura's chest, terribly so, but in the end she couldn't change the terribly unsatisfying bond she had with her. She couldn't fight the woman her mother loved to be.

The untouchable and unfazed Constance Isles.

Sighing, she locked her phone and tossed it into her back before returning her attention back towards the note her mother had written to her six months ago when they last saw each other. Frustrated, she grabbed it and tore it apart. She didn't need it anymore.

She didn't need this woman, her _mother,_ in her life anymore.

* * *

"Maura!" The pleading voice made her turn her gaze away from the businessman waiting in front of her and back towards the entrance of the security control at the airport. It didn't take long until she spotted the familiar red hair of the woman who had begged her to stay not even two nights ago when Maura told her that she was leaving — leaving for good. The women looked aghast and sad, holding a limp red rose in her hand. Maura closed her eyes, she couldn't do this now. Sighing, she turned her head back to the line in front of her before proceeding towards the waiting officer, taking off her shoes and belt.

"I love you, Maura. Please…please stay. I'm sorry…I love you!" Slowly but surely, this was turning into a seriously embarrassing affair, so Maura chose to ignore the incessant cries and declarations of undying love while keeping a straight face, before passing through the security area and into the bustling crowd of passengers.

She didn't even have the urge to look back. This chapter of her life was over.

Once and for all.

* * *

When the heavy plane finally hit the bumpy runway of Boston Logan Airport, Maura's eyes flew open and her mind was catapulted back into the stark reality of the pending mission she had tried to ignore these past hours. There was a certain essence of excitement that teased her mind regarding her stay here in Boston, yet at the same time, she couldn't shake off the intense wave of fear and anxiousness that overwhelmed her heart at the thought of leaving this plane.

In order to distract herself and calm her nerves, she pulled out her phone and opened the email that had formed and greatly encouraged her decision of coming to Boston — her hometown.

 **Dear Miss Isles,**

 **I finally found the person of interest for you. He is located in Boston, right now working as the head coach of a local swimming team. If you have any general questions or questions concerning the further procedure, please contact me.**

 **Sincerely,**

 **Gabriel Dean**

Her tired eyes flew over the sparse count of words she had come to know by heart now, and it was somewhat reassuring to have somebody to contact here in Boston because ever since she had left for France at a very young age, she had lost all ties to the Bostonian society.

It was the certainty of not being alone, that made the decision of getting out of her seat and leaving the plane much more easy.

 _Take a deep breath, you will manage. Have faith._

When she stepped out on the curb right next to the airport building, and inhaled Bostonian air for the first time in twenty years, her mind forcefully silenced all her lingering doubts and fears about the upcoming times and opened the doors to the scientific and unattached demeanour that had guided her all her life in new and unknown situations.

Personal Maura made way to the accomplished and rich Dr. Maura Dorothea Isles. Nothing could touch her here as long as she kept her guard up, and she expected this to be as long as it was necessary — until she found answers.

Until she found her family.

There was no going back now. She had chosen this way, and she would go through with it now, no matter the cost, no matter the consequences. This was her being brave.

This was her finally being the Maura she had always wanted to be.

* * *

 **Thank you so much for all the favourites, follows and reviews.**

 **It really means a lot to me.**

 **A.**


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